


The Exorcism of Waltolomew Stricklander

by R_Black



Category: Tales of Arcadia (Cartoons)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst with a Happy Ending, Gen, Possession, possessed!Strickler
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-15
Updated: 2019-10-29
Packaged: 2020-12-16 14:35:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21037808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/R_Black/pseuds/R_Black
Summary: AU of S3E5 in which Morgana, sensing that Claire might not be the best candidate for possession, decides to overthrow the mind of someone far more powerful. Someone hardwired to submit to her, even when attempting to betray her. Someone…like Stricklander.





	1. Part One

“How’s your head?” Jim asked tentatively.

“Still sore,” Claire answered. She held an ice pack to her head, wincing every few minutes. “But the bright side is I don’t have anyone else running around in here.”

“Sorry about your house…again…”

“Yeah, that’s gonna be hard to explain to Mom and Dad.”

“You can always say robbers took ya stuff,” Notenrique supplied. “An’ if dat don’ work, blame it on Jim! Worked last time!”

Jim ignored the jab. “Who’s this Morgana woman?” he asked.

“I told ya,” the Changeling said. “Someone ya don’ wanna date. Or meet. Or cross.”

“Yeah, but _who_ is she?”

Notenrique scratched the back of his neck. “It ain’t my place ta say…”

“When _does_ it become your place?” Jim demanded. “When my girlfriend is completely possessed? When the world _burns_? That seemed pretty serious, dude!”

“Jim, lay off,” Claire said. “Be thankful he managed to knock Morgana out of me. He’ll tell us about her when he’s ready. Right, Notenrique?”

The Changeling gulped. “Ye-yeah. Sure, sis.”

He didn’t look too confident in that answer, but Jim couldn’t do much else.

* * *

_Meanwhile, in the sewers of Arcadia_

“I honestly cannot believe you _ingested_ Grave Sand,” Nomura said with a laugh. She jabbed Strickler in the side. “What are you, a century-old teenager?”

Both Changelings were currently traveling through the sewer system in their Troll forms, carrying crates full of Grave Sand. They were moving their supply to a new location. Far away from Trollmarket and the prying eyes of the Puberty Patrol.

Strickler scoffed, readjusting his grip. “Don’t make me regret telling you. Just make sure to put our remaining supply in a secure place—and move it out of the coffee cans. Lord knows I’ve had enough of Folgers copycats for one millennium.”

Nomura shook her head. “So, how _did_ little Gynt bring you down from that rage high? Bat to the face? Swirly? Threatened to tell his mommy on you?”

The tense shoulders gave it away, causing the pink Changeling to smirk. “Don’t be a sour apple. It was only a joke.”

Strickler stopped in his tracks.

Nomura looked back. “Strickler?”

The green Changeling suddenly dropped his crate of Grave Sand. His hands rushed to his head.

“Strickler?”

“…out.”

“What?”

“Get. Out!” Strickler’s head snapped up. His eyes began to glow, but not in the usual Changeling way. His sclerae were darkening to an inky black, slit pupils switching between red and gold. “Get out of my head,” he roared.

Suddenly, he slammed his forehead into a wall. Nomura dropped her crate and rushed forward. She wrapped her arms around him in a bear hug. His knife collar dug into her cheek, but she barely registered it.

“Get a hold of yourself,” she demanded. “What’s gotten into you?”

“She’s here,” he screeched. Nomura felt his wings begin to twitch through his cloak. “She’s in my head! Nomura!”

He arched and stretched, slowly wriggling out of her grasp. He howled and spit like a rabid beast.

“GET OUT OF MY HEAD! I NO LONGER SERVE YOU!”

And suddenly Nomura knew exactly what plagued Strickler. The Pale Lady. Baba Yaga. Merlin’s apprentice herself.

Morgana.

Her honey-smooth laugh eked out of Strickler’s mouth, mixed with his own. _“**Oh, Stricklander**,”_ she said with his mouth. _“**You think betraying Gunmar is the same as betraying me? You’re still mine!**”_

His face twisted in agony. “N…NO!” He looked at Nomura, eyes flickering dangerously. “Ch-Chain me up! IRON CHAINS, NOMURA! THEY WILL HOLD HER!”

“Are you mad?” Nomura’s mouth fell open in shock. “Iron will definitely burn you!”

“IT’S A RISK WORTH TAKING!” He suddenly began to glow. “YOU NEED TO INCAPACITATE ME! BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE—**_FOOL_**_!”_ Morgana roared, Strickler’s voice fading quickly behind hers. _“**YOUR FELLOW CHANGELING IS NO MATCH FOR ME!**”_

Nomura tackled Strickler as he rose into the air. The two grappled, snarling like animals. Strickler floated higher, Morgana’s horrific laugh echoing inside the sewers. The sound bounced around Nomura’s skull.

In an instant, Strickler’s wings shot out from beneath his cape. With Nomura still hanging on, he rocketed through a manhole, taking off the cover magically. Nomura dug her claws into his shoulders, eliciting a shriek from the green Changeling. He kicked out, but her own legs entangled with his and soon the two were inseparable.

_“**You traitor**,”_ Morgana howled. _“**How dare you defy me? Not even the strongest among you could hold me back—you think **_**you_ can?_**_”_

“Maybe she can’t,” called a young voice from below. “But I SURE CAN!”

A huge, orange hammer slammed into Strickler’s cheek. He and Nomura spiraled downward from the force. They hit the ground hard, Nomura’s shoulder skidding into the pavement.

Toby Domzalski floated safely down. He yowled a wordless battle cry, swinging his hammer over his head and threatening to make Strickler’s face a carpenter’s nail. Strickler rolled away, finally free of Nomura’s grasp after their rough landing.

“I did _not_ know Mr. S had wings,” the child commented. “Where were those when he was trying to flee Angor Rot?”

Nomura scrambled to her feet. “Can you hold him for a few minutes?”

“Uh…” Toby swung his hammer at Strickler’s side as he charged the boy. Thankfully, that sent the green Changeling into a light pole. “You’re coming back, right? Cuz I really don’t know what’s going on and HOLY SHISHKEBAB WHY ARE HIS EYES LIKE THAT?”

Strickler had gotten to his feet. Facing Nomura, he began reciting a spell. Nomura regretted not studying magic more, especially after the aforementioned light pole was magically flung into her! Pain erupted from her midsection as she shot backwards.

Toby yelled again and shot into the air with his hammer. Glad for the distraction, Nomura ran to the nearest garage. She hoped whoever lived there had some decent iron chains…

* * *

_Thirty minutes later..._

Jim’s phone dinged. He looked at the screen, blinking at Toby’s name as it flashed.

_JIMBO WE HAVE A MAJOR PROBLEM! YOU’RE NOT GONNA BELIEVE THIS BUT—_

Jim gasped as he read the rest of the text. “You’ve gotta be kidding…”

“What is it?” Claire asked.

“I think I know where that Morgana lady went,” he said cryptically. “We gotta call Blinky.”

* * *

_Ten minutes later..._

“Jimbo,” Toby yelped as soon as Jim and Claire teleported to him. “Claire!”

Jim gazed at the surroundings, brow furrowing. “Why are we in the museum?”

“Nomura still had the keys and it’s, like, the only place in town with a big enough space to hold…_that_.”

Jim’s jaw dropped as he spotted a human Strickler, chained to an antique chair and surrounded by a sinister halo of light. His black and gold eyes were narrowed in a glare, but his lips were twisted in a smile. A very, _very_ scary smile.

Jim approached cautiously. Claire tried holding him back, but he ignored her. “Mr. Strickler?”

He held out a hand. His plan had been to maybe grab Strickler’s shoulder, try to connect with him again like he had when the Changeling had been high on Grave Sand.

Strickler’s head suddenly transformed and snapped at the air where Jim’s hand had been mere _seconds_ before. Battle instincts had saved Jim from the sudden amputation.

Strickler foamed at the mouth and roared, struggling against his chains. The halo around him intensified and he began to float, chair an all. His chains rattled, leaving his body but still surrounding him, glowing bright gold.

“**_You children are no match for me_**,” Strickler growled—not Strickler, Jim reminded himself. That was Morgana. Her voice filtered through Strickler’s fierce jaws.

“Let Mr. Strickler go,” Jim demanded, donning his full armor with a flash of blue.

A string of words—was it Latin? Some ancient form of Saxon? Greek? Jim had no idea –erupted from Strickler’s mouth. Items from nearby exhibits—small ones, mostly, like that Ming Dynasty vase or the Korean fan collection—floated into Jim’s view and hurled themselves at the small group.

Toby yelped as a Japanese parasol began beating him on the head. He waved his arms around, trying to catch it. Claire used her staff to hold off some of the fans while Jim prepared to slice through the vase.

“DON’T YOU DARE,” Nomura snarled.

Jim groaned. Thinking fast, he ripped a tapestry off the wall and caught the vase within it. He chucked the thing into a broom closet and shut the door.

The entire time, Morgana’s laughter echoed through the East Asian exhibit.

“Sorry I’m late,” cried Blinky as he squeezed through the entrance to the hall with Notenrique in tow. “I had to make sure this brat had grabbed everything from Strickler’s office!”

The young Changeling, hoisting a huge briefcase up as he marched to Claire, grunted. “Ya ain’t gotta worry about me double-crossin’ ya anymore, Blueballs. I want Bossman t’ be free o’ Her influence same as you.”

Blinky rushed forward and pulled out a horngazel. He crossed Strickler’s chains in an X motion, which made them snap violently back into place. Strickler howled, his head still transformed but body clearly human, clothes and all.

“I didn’t know Changelings could partially transform,” Blinky noted as he batted away a rogue kimono.

“We can’t,” Nomura said. “Morgana is forcing his body into a split. The iron chains not only restrict her, but also _will_ burn his full Troll form. She doesn’t want to risk major harm to him.”

“But wants to bite our heads off,” Claire remarked. “Literally.”

“Don’t take it personal, Sis,” Notenrique said. “She’d rather bite _everyone’s_ ‘eads off, regardless o’ their standin’s with her.”

“So, what exactly is wrong with Mr. S?” Toby asked. He was parrying the parasol with his hammer now. “And is it contagious?”

Notenrique pulled out a big book from the briefcase. Blinky frowned, but took it in his hands. “The Book of Ga-Huel,” he muttered darkly. “You didn’t want to dabble in Dark Magic, Master Jim. Now, I fear, we are _neck deep_ in it.”

He flipped through the pages. Strickler-Morgana began to float again and growled gutturally. The sound vibrated through the museum, as did the light from Morgana’s spell. More items—this time from the Egyptian Exhibit in the next hall over—flew in to attack the group.

Blinky grunted as a pharaoh crook pulled on his nostril. “Aha! Here it is! Morgana is using Strickler as a vessel—a puppet—a toe-hold into our plane of reality.”

“And how did she get into him, exactly?” Toby asked, now battling the parasol while blinded by a dusty Egyptian wig.

“I think it has something to do with me,” Claire admitted. “She got through to me, first. When I bonded with the Shadow Staff, it must have allowed her to connect with me!”

“So why is Strickler affected?” Jim asked.

“**_Because the Changeling is mine to command._**” Morgana smirked with Strickler’s underbite. “**_All Changelings are my children. My beautiful soldiers, who would do _anything_ to free me—including become my vessel!_**”

“Liar!” Nomura yelled. “Strickler had forsaken you!”

“Yeah, an’ so ‘ave we!” Notenrique climbed up on Nomura’s shoulder. “We don’ wan’ nothin’ to do with you anymore!”

Morgana laughed slowly. “**_You would dare to deny your Queen? I, who gave you so much more power and intelligence than the average Troll? Changelings are not equal to Trolls—they are the superior!_**”

“Yeah yeah, heard all that _bushigal_ before,” Notenrique grumbled. “And we ain’t buyin’ it no more!”

Blinky turned to another page in the book. “Gah, I don’t know how to fix this,” he cried. “Master Jim, I fear your former teacher may be lost!”

Jim pondered a moment, dodging more items. If Strickler was lost…that meant he _went_ somewhere. But where…?

Glancing at Strickler, who had begun to float again, he noticed the moon in the window behind the Changeling. It lit him up, but…cast no shadow.

“Woah,” he gasped. “Is it weird Strickler doesn’t have a shadow?”

“No shadow?” Blinky looked at the floor and clapped two hands when he didn’t see the shade of Strickler. “Great Gronka, that’s it! Morgana has trapped Strickler in the Shadow Realm!”

“What’s that?”

Claire gulped. “Is that the in-between place in my portals?”

“Precisely! Master Jim, as long as Strickler is trapped within the Shadow Realm, Morgana will continue to influence his body. The longer she controls him, the more powerful she will become!”

“**_There is no hope for you, child_**,” Morgana mocked from three feet off the ground. “**_You’ll never find him!_**”

“Claire, do you know how to navigate the Shadow Realm?” Jim asked.

“No, and even if I did, _someone_ would have to keep the portal open,” she explained. “I can’t do that if I’m in the Shadow Realm.”

“And we can’t risk sending our best magic user into Morgana’s realm,” Blinky said flatly. “Unfortunately, without Strickler, Miss Claire is the only one we have. Unless Nomura knows—”

“I don’t,” the pink Changeling grunted. “Besides, if anyone’s going into the Shadow Realm to get back Strickler, it’s gonna be me.”

“What?” Jim protested. “Why you?”

“Because I know him best. I could probably find him way faster than you or Smooth Jazz over there.”

It was Toby’s turn to protest, and he _did_ attempt to argue, but the Egyptian wig spun him around like a square dance partner. He nearly threw up.

“I’m still going,” Jim said, voice firm. “You need backup.”

“Okay, so we’ve got how to get there and who’s going down,” Claire interjected. “Does anyone know how to _find_ Strickler?”

The silence between the group was almost as loud as Morgana’s cackling.

Finally, Blinky cleared his throat. “I believe I might have something here.”

“Dang, that thing is like Book ex-Machina,” Toby remarked. “Does it have the answers to next week’s math quiz?”

“We will need these ingredients, as well as some sort of belonging of Strickler’s. Something he’s emotionally attached to, like a favorite gem or book.”

“You could always get Mama Lake,” Notenrique supplied with a grin. “Bossman’s still _really_ attached to ‘er.”

“We are _not_ involving my mom,” Jim growled. “She needs to stay out of Troll stuff.”

“What about his pen?” Toby inquired. “The key-pen thingy. Would that work?”

Blinky shrugged. “I suppose it will have to do. Where is it?”

Claire consulted the list of ingredients on the page Blinky had been looking at. “Probably where most of this stuff is: in his office.”


	2. Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jim and Nomura enter the Shadow Realm...and Toby, Claire, and Notenrique must deal with Morgana.

Thanks to Claire’s Shadow Staff, getting all the ingredients from Strickler’s office hadn’t been very difficult. The pen had been slightly harder to find, if only because Strickler didn’t want it falling into the wrong hands. Claire, Toby, and Notenrique had been able to get everything within ten minutes.

“And we got tacos,” Toby declared, waving a bag from Stuart’s Taco Truck around. “I know you didn’t ask for those, but…”

“Did you get everything?” Blinky asked Claire.

She held up the plastic bag. “Yup.”

“And the emotional anchor?”

“Bossman can’t hide it well enough from me,” Notenrique crowed. “’e had it stuffed on top o’ the damn shelf.”

“AAARRRGGHH!!! isn’t here yet?” Toby asked.

“I am afraid we will have to make do without our dear friend,” Blinky said, already mixing the ingredients together. “I could not wait for him any longer, earlier.”

Jim, meanwhile, was still next to Strickler. He’d attempted reaching out, but Morgana had buried him too deep. She mocked them all from her position, casually threatening the destruction of the world as they knew it.

“**_Dear child_**,” she began, her words like poisonous honey. “**_Do you even know what awaits you in the Shadow Realm? Stricklander is not like your girlfriend._**”

“What do you mean?” Jim asked, suspicious.

“**_I had been developing a small honey pot for Claire to stay in; nothing too fancy, but difficult to escape. She is only human, after all…_**”

“Watch it,” Claire warned. She had stalked up to them and put a supportive hand on Jim’s shoulder. “This _human_ managed to claim your old staff.”

“**_THE STAFF IS STILL MINE, BRAT,_**” Morgana roared. She snapped at Claire with Strickler’s predator teeth. “**_And you will never truly control it!_**”

“Says you,” Claire huffed.

Morgana growled, then schooled Strickler’s Troll features back to an eerie calm. “**_I digress, of course. You are human, Claire, and therefore require a place _out of the way. _With Stricklander, it is a matter of finding something suitable for him to do. A job within the Shadow Realm that can—shall we say—_rope_ him into eternal service._**”

“Strickler can’t be manipulated so easily,” Jim protested, though it sounded weak even to his own ears.

Morgana only laughed cryptically.

“Ignore her, Master Jim,” Blinky admonished. He dipped the pen in the concoction, careful not to get anything on his stone skin. “There. That should do it.”

Jim looked at the concoction, which seemed like a normal bag of glowy dust—it reminded him of Grave Sand. He coughed on accident and sent some dust flying. Blinky shoved Jim away gently.

He handed the pen to Nomura. “When you enter the Shadow Ream, hold up the pen and say the incantation: _Modus Occul-Takh._”

Jim attempted to repeat it, as did Toby. Nomura rolled her eyes and repeated the phrase perfectly.

“And when you find Strickler and wish to return, hold up the pen and say the incantation _backwards_.”

_That_ caused a slip in Nomura’s composure. She and Jim both paused, mumbling some attempts at the phrase. Eventually, Claire stepped in and said it (_Hkat-Lucco Sudom)_ for them, earning a bravo from Blinky.

Claire stepped away from the group and held the Shadow Staff at the ready. She nodded at Jim. “Remember to be quick,” she said. “I don’t know how long I’ll be able to hold it.”

“Of course,” Jim said. Then, for good measure, he kissed her on the cheek. It seemed a reasonable thing to do—they _were_ going steady, weren’t they?

Her blush and shy smile were enough of an answer. She activated the staff and summoned a portal. She grimaced, suggesting it was a strain, but defiantly stood straight.

“You got this, Jimbo!” Toby cheered, Notenrique on his shoulder.

“Bring ‘im ‘ome safe, Nomura,” the little Changeling said softly.

Nomura nodded, then jumped through the portal. Jim followed shortly after.

* * *

Inside the Shadow Realm, Jim was assaulted with dark and intense scenery. It was like the Hogwarts staircases had taught the ground itself their little shifting trick. Somehow, the Darklands felt like a better alternative to this!

Nomura hooked a rope around Jim’s waist, effectively tying him to her. “We can’t get separated,” she said bluntly.

“No arguments here.” He motioned to the pen. “You do the honors?”

She held the pen firmly in one hand and announced, “_Modus Occul-Takh_.”

The pen didn’t react for a moment, which worried Jim, but then it sputtered purple. Without warning, it shot forward, causing Nomura to yelp in alarm and nearly drop the thing. Thankfully, she had a good grip.

Not thankfully, it meant she flew forward at an alarming speed and had cartoon-dragged Jim right along with her. As the pen navigated around the perilous floating rocks and meteor islands, Jim felt like he finally knew what a pinball felt like. His helmet—which sprang forth the moment they took off—helped keep any sort of head injuries at bay, but he had a feeling he’d feel all this banging around in the morning. Or in five minutes, whichever came first.

Then, just as suddenly as the pen had taken off, it halted. Jim went flying past Nomura with a squawk. She managed to catch hold of something solid nearby to prevent Jim from dragging her away from their location.

Jim was grateful Nomura didn’t make fun of him, though she _did_ smirk.

“Why’d we stop?” he asked when they settled.

“No idea,” she said. “Thing must be busted.”

Jim looked around. The floating void of the Shadow Realm had not changed much, with the only true light coming from Claire’s portal. There was nothing to indicate they had found Strickler, either.

Nomura shook the pen. The purple light flickered on and off, like a dying flashlight.

“Well, if the pen stopped, that means Strickler has to be around here,” Jim muttered, glancing around at the unoccupied surroundings. “Somewhere…”

* * *

“**_It must be so difficult_**,” Morgana lamented. “**_So difficult to watch your pupil care more about a _Changeling_ than you._**”

“_Spare me_,” Blinky spat.

“**_After all the hard work you put into molding such a young mind, he _still_ runs back to Stricklander. It must be _agonizing_._**”

Blinky grumbled and stalked out of the hall, which had finally been cleared of all the Egyptian and East Asian artifacts. Toby wailed, “Wait! Where are you going?”

“To find a _gag_,” Blinky snarled. “Or at least something big enough to shut that large mouth of his!”

Morgana chuckled. Then, with Strickler’s unsettling smile, turned to Toby.

“**_Poor Tobias_**,” Morgana sighed. “**_Is it hard to sit there and do nothing? To be left behind while your best friend and his girlfriend stay useful?_**”

“Don’t listen to her,” Claire growled from her position across the room. Notenrique was pacing around her like a tiny tiger.

“I’m useful,” Toby said. “I beat_ you_ up.”

“**_And how do they repay you?_**” Morgana shot back. Strickler’s head suddenly transformed back into a human one. His expression was that of pity. “**_By leaving you behind. I can see—I have experienced—that you are, indeed, powerful. A force to be reckoned with, like any Warhammer worth its mettle._**_”_

Toby fell silent.

Notenrique took a chunk of marble floor and chucked it at Morgana. It hit Strickler’s shoulder.

“Nice shot,” Claire commented.

“Thanks, Sis!”

Morgana frowned, then moved Strickler’s head jerkily. She muttered some sort of incantation, causing the East Asian hall to vibrate. The marble tiles on the floor began to lift out of their spots. Many of them flew to block the door, some blocked off Claire and Notenrique from Strickler, and a huge chunk trapped Toby inside a dark dome…_with_ Strickler.

Toby heard the muffled yells of Notenrique and Claire. His legs shook as he readied his Warhammer. The orange glow from the cursed weapon was one of two light sources.

Strickler’s possessed eyes happened to be the other source.

“**_Now_**,” Morgana drawled. “**_Where were we?_**”

* * *

Jim kicked a stray stone, sending it flying into the endless void. No noise came when it struck a passing boulder.

Nomura shook the pen over and over. “Blinky must have done something wrong.”

“Blinky did exactly what the book said he should do,” Jim snapped. “That stupid pen is probably the thing that went wrong!”

“It’s not like we have a lot of options,” Nomura argued. “Stricklander doesn’t exactly _announce_ he likes something more than as a passing fancy! It would only serve as a distraction!”

Jim growled and kicked another stone. “So now what do we do? Split up and _hope_ we find Strickler?”

“Fat chance of that, Scooby-Doo,” she griped. “This is _Morgana’s_ realm. The longer you stay in here alone, the more her grip on your mind tightens.”

“Didn’t Morgana say you all were _her_ children? Doesn’t that mean she’s already in _all_ of your heads?”

“She’s the reason we’re Changelings, yes. She screws us up, says we won’t be loved by anyone else but her, tells us to do her bidding and free her, we do as she says because she’s the _only_ one that told us we were worth something. To lower Changelings, she’s a goddess. To the higher-ups and people like Otto, she’s a queen. And to Stricklander and I, she’s a manipulative, evil witch who kills any who defy her.”

“Geeze, no wonder you guys are so messed up…”

Nomura’s ears flattened. “By the time we realize who it is we’re _really_ serving, it’s too late to be an upstart or leave her cult. Morgana’s hold on us is absolute.”

Jim shook his head. “Then why did…why didn’t she do anything when Strickler fell for my mom?” The admission stung, but not as much as it had when he’d needed to talk Strickler down during the Grave Sand incident. “If Morgana has such a tight hold, then why could Strickler _love_? Why could _you_ betray Gunmar and escape the Darklands with me? Why could Notenrique decide to actually connect with Claire, instead of just throwing us under the bus the moment we discovered him?”

Nomura frowned, but didn’t say anything.

“Morgana isn’t free,” Jim said, voice stronger. “And as long as we find Strickler in here and bring him home, she_ won’t_ be.”

“Don’t promise impossible things, Little Gynt,” Nomura said with a dark chuckle.

Jim sighed and looked up, mostly to get a view of Claire’s portal. The dim light brought some semblance of comfort.

A tiny cry caught his attention. It brought up a small memory from the Darklands—of many similar cries. Jim whipped his head around, searching for any sign of…

“There,” he cried. He pointed to an area he’d assumed to be mere void but was actually just a large black floating island.

Nomura nodded and, after checking that Jim was ready, jumped off their resting place. When they got closer, Jim noticed the island was concave, the inside far bigger than what should have been possible. He chalked it up to magic _bushigal_.

The pen flickered as they hovered over the opening. Jim and Nomura shared a look and entered.

The darkness here was even more absolute than the void outside. So many impossibilities made Jim’s brain hurt, so he tried not to dwell on them too long. Nomura’s green eyes and Jim’s armor helped light the tunnel, but only barely.

The crying got louder. Now it wasn’t just one baby crying, but multiple—as if they were approaching a nursery. Jim felt a shiver go up his spine as he remembered the Darklands Nursery. The shiver worsened when they maneuvered into a new space, a large cavern dotted with small holes in the walls. The holes had bars covering the entrances, and inside the bars were Troll whelps.

In the center of the cavern was a giant dead tree, the branches of which were all spread to the different whelp cages, one for each whelp. The tree was dark emerald in color, pulsating with a brighter gold glow every few moments. With each pulse, the whelps whined and cried, their eyes glowing gold.

“What…” Jim’s voice was weak, barely above a whisper. “What is this place?”

“Young Atlas!”

Jim’s head snapped towards the hoarse, accented voice to his left. Strickler—in his human form—was jammed into one of the tiny cells, splayed on his stomach with arms reaching between the bars. He looked…older, more tired. The bags under his eyes suggested he’d been here longer than the few hours Morgana had taken over his body outside the Shadow Realm.

“Strickler,” Jim gasped. He rushed to the cell. “How do we get you out?”

Strickler’s eyes widened. “You might want to deal with _him_, first,” he yelped.

Jim turned around just in time to see Nomura get slammed by something. She crashed against the cave wall, dazed. Her attacker rose to his feet and turned to face Jim, eyes glowing completely gold and jaws dripping with drool.

The Trollhunter’s jaw dropped in shock.

Their attacker was Strickler—but in his Troll form!


	3. Part Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Toby hops aboard the ANGST TRAIN, and Jim and Nomura have to deal with a feral Stricklander

Toby plugged his ears and screwed his eyes shut. “Nope, nu-uh, not gonna listen to you, crazy lady!”

“**_Oh, Tobias_**,” Morgana purred—probably literally, since it was through Strickler’s mouth. “**_Don’t you see? We’re not so different._**”

“La-la-la!”

“**_You aren’t the only one left behind. You aren’t the only one considered _inferior_ by their so-called friends._**”

“I’m not—nope, can’t hear you!”

“**_Merlin and I were once good friends—possibly even the best of friends. But, ultimately, we had different ideas. We wanted to reshape the world in our own ways—and he shut me away, entombed me._**”

“Yeah? Good!”

“**_Is it, though? I’m not the only one who wanted to change the world. Merlin did, too. He wanted to separate every creature, to divide them further and instill so much fear in them. _I_ wanted to merge them._**” Strickler’s head transformed again, but this time his expression was soft. Piteous, even. “**_Changelings were to be the key to uniting our worlds, and Merlin ruined them. He spread the lies of mistrust and terror amongst Trolls—even to my own Gumm-Gumm allies. Some friend!_**”

Toby’s ears weren’t plugged anymore. He’d turned slightly towards Morgana without realizing it.

It was all the more reason for her to smile. Strickler’s underbite tweaked upwards in a smile. Not predatory, like before, though. It seemed…sad. “**_Merlin _was_ my friend. And he betrayed me. Jim is his champion, now, and has so much power he can leave you behind without so much as a sideways glance…where does that leave you, Tobias?_**”

“Even if I can’t always fight with him,” he weakly protested, “I can still support him!”

“**_Sidelined! Shoved aside like a faulty toy or battered shield past its prime! What will happen when he drifts too far? He already has drifted—towards another._**”

Claire. Toby clenched a fist. “Claire’s totally awesome-sauce! She…She deserves to be with us!”

“**_Of course, of course. But don’t you see? She’s already wedged herself between you and Jim. One day, Jim will take her word over yours, no matter what. One day, Jim will leave you behind—for _her_. And in dangerous times, Jim would rather save her than you._**”

The words cut deep. Toby sniffed, trying to keep his composure.

The ground shook again. A small hole appeared between Toby and Strickler. From it shot two pieces of reflective glass. Mirrors. They floated just out of reach, one on each side of him. Strickler’s glowing eyes were the only things Toby could see if he looked past them.

“**_I can offer you a different path_**,” Morgana whispered. “**_You can either stay with Jim, and inevitably get left behind…_**”

The left mirror flashed with an image. Of Toby, as he was now—decked out in garbage and kitchen appliances and a random Trollish Warhammer—trying to follow Jim and Claire. They were walking faster than he was running, and eventually, he was left alone. The image faded as he sat down and cried.

“**_…or you can join me. Become one of _my_ Champions. If Merlin can have a human champion, so can I. And I can make you far more powerful. You would be able to wield not only the most powerful of weapons, but also the most potent of magics. You would be _unstoppable_._**”

The right mirror came to life. This time, Toby was surrounded by Trolls—Changelings like Stricklander and Nomura and Notenrique. Angor Rot was next to him, but he looked proud instead of murderous. And there was a woman clad in gold, her arm wrapped around one of Toby’s arms, a loving smile on her face.

And Toby was bigger. Not fatter, but more muscular. He looked huge, like Maui from Moana, with a weightlifter’s build. His teeth were braces-free and pearly white. His Warhammer looked _normal_ just sitting there in his meaty grip. And he was decked out in some pretty awesome-looking orange armor, like Morgana had personally armor-ized fire itself and given it to him.

The mirror flashed and suddenly Toby was fighting. Smashing shadow creatures with ease, no longer breathing heavily or encumbered by his own weight. He moved with the grace and fluidity of a tiger, not the clumsiness of an elephant. The image of him laughed, as if he were a Viking having the time of his life.

Toby’s real grip on his Warhammer loosened. He suddenly felt very, _very_ small and insignificant. It had taken him _so long_ to catch up to Jim after the Amulet came to his best friend. He hadn’t done much besides act as Jim’s One-Man Cheer Squad. And when Claire came, it was like she had no trouble at all fitting into the role of Trollhunter’s Partner-In-Crime.

The image of Maui-Toby floated tantalizingly close to his face.

“**_You have the potential to be the strongest man in the world_**,” Morgana purred. “**_And I can make sure you will be exactly what you want…_**”

* * *

_Meanwhile, in the Shadow Realm..._

“I’m _really_ not enjoying this right now!” Jim screamed.

Currently, he was on the ground, Troll Strickler straddling him and frothing. Daylight was the only thing keeping Strickler’s gnarly teeth from snapping Jim’s nose off, like a huge bit.

Jim didn’t really understand how there could be _two_ of Strickler—one human, in a cell meant for baby Trolls; one Troll, feral and insane. He didn’t have _time_ to understand or react beyond _Don’t become food!_

Strickler’s teeth seemed longer than usual, and his eyes were completely gold. He also seemed more…Trollish? His horns were more jagged, his cloak was gone, his wings larger and more threatening, even his hands seemed more like predator talons than body parts used for handling tools and weapons. His markings, too, seemed different. They weren’t symmetrical at all, and they were just as jagged as his horns. They glowed the same gold as his eyes.

Nomura body slammed Strickler, forcing him off of Jim. That was when Jim noticed the chain. A large, ebony-black chain, connected to a huge golden collar around Strickler’s neck, bound the Troll to the emerald tree. When the tree pulsed, it sent a beat of light into the chain, which traveled all the way to Strickler. His eyes glowed brighter, albeit briefly, with each pulse.

Strickler’s limbs tangled in the chain as he struggled to all fours.

Jim made a strategic retreat back to the entrance with Nomura hot on his heels. Human Strickler—gosh, that was confusing…Jim decided the human would be Walter and the Troll would be Stricklander from now on. _Walter_ was still in his tiny cell. He couldn’t escape, and he didn’t make much protest when his two rescuers fled. Jim knew he was smart enough to realize they needed a plan.

Stricklander howled and tugged against his restraint, like a mad junkyard dog. He scraped and strained, foaming at the mouth in rage.

“Okay,” Jim breathed. “So, I’m guessing we gotta get those two together somehow?”

Nomura blinked at him. “What makes you say _that_?”

“Isn’t that usually what happens? The whole ‘oh, no, which one do we rescue? SIKE, it was both all along!’ trope? I feel like it happens all the time in stories and movies and stuff!”

“I…” Nomura glanced between the two Stricklers. “You know, that’s a good point. But _how_ do we keep the Troll from eating the human?”

Jim brushed a hand through his hair. “I don’t know…Maybe we have to get through to the Troll? Emotionally connect with him like I did when he was hopped up on Grave Sand?”

“I doubt it would be as simple as that. That Troll is not sentient. Look at his eyes; he is a rabid beast, and Morgana has chained him here to make _sure_ he stays put. She locked his intelligence away!”

“So, what do _you_ propose we do?”

“Knock the Troll unconscious and drag _both_ of them to the surface.”

Jim sighed in annoyance.

Stricklander howled, the echo causing the whelps to whine louder. Nomura winced.

Jim’s eyes widened. “These are…wait…Are these _Changeling_ babies?”

Her eyes slid to a particular cell nearby. Jim followed her gaze and saw the occupant: a tiny pink Troll with big green eyes and little hooves for back feet.

“They are,” she answered. “This is like a prison for our innocence. The place our old selves went when Morgana changed us.”

“Are they real?”

“Probably not, but I honestly don’t want to kill one and find out.”

Jim decided to look back to Stricklander. The feral Troll was pacing the length of the cavern, keeping one eye on Jim and Nomura. He seemed to keep himself between them and the whelps at all times. Jim was reminded of one of those National Geographic documentaries where the hyena mother had to protect her cubs from a rogue lion. It hadn’t been very…child appropriate, and it had been something he’d regret seeing as a young boy for years to come.

Stricklander growled. The tree pulsed like a heartbeat in time with his pacing. Walter groaned in his cell, growing visibly weaker with each pulse.

They were running out of time.

Jim grabbed fistfuls of his hair. What to do? What to do? A Changeling in two places at once; in one corner, weighing in at probably close to 300 lbs of pure rocky muscle, a feral Troll with limited intelligence and natural weapons that could make a bear cower; in the other corner, a weakening human—an old man by a youth like Jim's standards—his body falling further into disrepair the more the tree pulsed. If they didn’t get Strickler out of the Shadow Realm soon, not only would he be trapped in this bipolar prison hell forever, but so would _they_.

And Nomura would probably be chained up next to Stricklander, if Jim was being honest with himself. Morgana was almost certainly making sure to weave her magic around this area, to keep them trapped while she roamed free in Strickler’s true body. Whatever she'd done to Strickler to split his aspects up, she would most certainly do to Nomura if they failed here.

Another glance at the pulsing tree—and at the ebony chain and feral Stricklander—brought a small thought to his stressed mind. It wasn’t much to go on, but they didn’t have the time to plan anything better.

Jim huffed out a breath and faced Nomura. “I’ve got an idea, but you’re gonna have to trust me.”

“After getting me out of the Darklands, Little Gynt, you've more than earned my trust,” she said firmly. “What’s the plan?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's short, but could you blame me for wanting to post what I had? I just love writing things like this!


	4. Part Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Toby makes a decision, and so does Jim

“You can really make me stronger?” Toby asked tentatively.

“**_And then some_**,” Morgana answered. She was still forcing Strickler’s head to be Trollish while his body remained human. “**_I can do more for you than any of Merlin’s silly creatures could ever hope to accomplish._**”

It was so tempting. Toby kept seeing the two images of his future, side-by-side. Pride swelled in his chest at the sight of Maui-Toby, who would bellow and fight like the finest Viking. But another emotion formed in the pit of his stomach: shame.

Had she shown this to him when Claire first learned about Trolls, or even when the amulet had chosen Jim, Toby wouldn’t have recognized the source of the shame. He would have blindly assumed the shame came from looking at the lonely, trash-wearing Toby, crying and wailing for someone to come back for him.

He gripped his Warhammer tighter. He wasn’t stupid; he knew where this shame came from.

“You know,” he began, keeping his voice even. “You make some really good points. And, I gotta admit, the muscles _are_ tempting…”

Strickler leaned forward, a grin slowly spreading on his face.

Toby pursed his lips in a ponder. “And it _would_ be nice to be as strong as Jim—maybe even AAARRRGGHH!!! Man, that would be something!”

“**_There’s nothing stopping you_**,” Morgana purred.

“Actually, there is. You,” Toby growled. “You’re stopping me.”

“**_I’m the one offering you that future!_**”

“Are you, though?” Toby hefted his Warhammer up. He caught sight of Angor Rot in Maui-Toby’s mirror. “Cuz, Lady, I’ve seen what you do to your champions and it is _not_ a fair deal!”

“**_You would never get the respect and strength you deserve if you deny me here and now!_**” Strickler’s teeth bared in a threatening gesture.

Toby twirled the hammer in his grip. “I’m willing to bet you’re wrong!”

He swung the Warhammer like a baseball bat, clocking Strickler right in the jaw and knocking out a few of his sharp teeth. Strickler roared in agony, but Toby heard Morgana roar in outrage. Toby was kinda thrilled he could see a little duality still; it meant Jim and Nomura weren’t

The tile dome suddenly dropped, revealing a scene of tug-o-war between Claire and her own staff. Blinky, who had most likely been trying to breach the dome and rescue Toby, was on the ground, moaning in confusion. Notenrique was nowhere to be seen.

Morgana-Strickler began to float again. “**_Fools! All of you! You think you can deny a _deity_? I am a goddess! I am almighty!_**”

She spoke some magic words and the staff in Claire’s hands struggled harder. Claire’s feet rose up from the ground and suddenly she was flying toward Toby. The teens couldn’t react in time and the two collided. While they became entangled, the staff lurched and they were sent hurtling into the Shadow Realm.

Blinky yelled something. Probably “NO!”

Right before the portal closed behind them, Toby heard Morgana laugh maniacally and screech, “**_I AM YOUR DOOM!_**”

* * *

_Meanwhile, in the Shadow Realm..._

Jim watched as Nomura rushed into the chamber and tackled Stricklander. The feral Troll spread his wings and shrieked as Nomura tried to pin him.

Jim drew Daylight and attempted to run in after her.

He didn’t expect the _tree_ to move. A free branch knocked him sideways and the air left his body in a rush. He _really_ didn’t like the new revelation that they now had to deal with a Whomping Willow.

Nomura screeched in pain nearby. Jim shook his head and rose to his feet. He could do this, he told himself. He just needed an opening.

The pulsing tree seemed to sense his intentions, though. Every time Jim moved, it followed—no, it _beat_ him to whatever location he moved to. Jim attempted to weave around the swinging branches, but it was like it could _see_ him…

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Nomura riding Stricklander like a bull. He bucked and reared, wings pinned by her legs. His horns couldn’t seem to catch her torso as he snapped his head to and fro, mostly because she was _holding_ him by the horns. He snarled and roared.

“Young Atlas, look out!” Walter cried out.

Jim didn’t have any time to react. A branch caught him in the midsection and hurled him into a wall. The whelps inside nearby cells yelped in alarm. Jim glanced at one—a tiny blue whelp with four eyes and big ears cowered in the back of its nook.

“Hey,” he called softly to the whelp. “Hey, it’s alright. We’re not here to hurt you.”

The tree pulsed, and light from the stationary branch connected to the whelp’s cell filled the space. The child’s eyes glowed with the pulse and they whined as if in pain. Then, the glow ceased and the eyes returned to normal.

Jim furrowed his brow, contemplating. He and Nomura had come into the Shadow Realm for Strickler, but now there were all these Changelings. If they weren’t real—just an illusion created by Morgana—then Jim would feel fine leaving them.

But if they _were_ real…what then? What would that mean for Nomura, who was both physically here and had a whelp double? Was Notenrique here, too? What did that mean for any of these whelps?

Morgana’s laughter, sinister and disturbing, echoed through the chamber. Stricklander howled in tune with it. Walter and the whelps screamed in pain as the tree’s light pulsed faster.

Jim made up his mind. He traded Daylight for the small boomerang knives and cut through the bars on the blue whelp’s cell. For good measure, he sliced up the branch connected to it, too.

A distant cry made Jim realize he’d done the right thing. The tree shuddered as the cut limb disintegrated. The whelp cried in relief and joy, then became translucent. They jumped through Jim and flew directly upwards, through the cavern roof and out of sight.

The other whelps yipped and wailed. Some reached through the bars for Jim. Others knocked their stubby horns against their bars.

Nomura was still struggling against Stricklander, still hanging on for dear life as he galloped around. Somehow, she’d gotten the same idea as Jim—or maybe she’d seen what he did—because she started hacking tree branches left and right. More and more of the whelps cried in relief, but even if they had become transparent, they still couldn’t get through the bars.

Jim set to work sawing through all the cells. The whelp spirits danced around him as he worked, some fleeing almost immediately, others yipping Trollish thanks. He definitely rescued a Notenrique baby, but the whelp didn’t quip or grunt at him with a rough East Coast accent. He’d merely flown out, same as the others.

The Nomura whelp had flown over to the real Nomura and fused with her. Nomura’s form swelled with renewed strength and she was able to finally wrench Stricklander to the ground.

That was Jim’s cue. He finished freeing the last whelp and rushed over to the chain connecting Stricklander to the tree. With one slice of Daylight, he managed to sever the chain and disintegrate it.

Stricklander shrieked in agony, his body going limp.

* * *

Outside, in the human realm, Blinky watched as Strickler’s head transformed back to its human shape. Morgana screeched.

Blinky could see she was struggling to change it back. The floor tiles, along with some of the exhibit items they’d stashed away, began to circle the room. Lights danced around Strickler’s fully-human body.

“What’s happenin’?” Notenrique shouted over the growing din.

“It seems Master Jim must have reached Strickler,” Blinky observed. He swatted at a rogue tile. “Morgana has lost the ability to shift forms—at least for the moment.”

“So Bossman’s fightin’?”

“It would appear so.”

Suddenly, Notenrique gasped. His eyes glowed gold briefly. Blinky feared Morgana had grown too powerful and was now controlling the smaller Changeling.

Then, the glow shattered, like someone had thrown a rock at a window. His slit pupils were dilated for a moment before returning to normal. He exhaled heavily.

“What was that?” Blinky asked.

Notenrique shook his head. “I….I dunno. It was like a…a weight’s been lifted. Like…”

Blinky set all six eyes on Strickler’s floating form. Morgana was spitting ancient curses.

“Like your tie to an ancient sorceress has just been severed?” Blinky finished.

Notenrique glanced at Strickler. He squared his little shoulders, no longer looking like a cowering whelp in the face of a goddess. “Yeah,” he said, voice strong. “Exactly.”

* * *

_The Shadow Realm, in a separate area from Jim and Nomura..._

Claire had tried to hang on to the staff, she really had. But Toby’s extra weight just draped over her body and the sudden jump into the Shadow Realm had forced her to let go. They tumbled away from each other, hitting a bunch of floating rocks in the process. The staff flew away, but stayed nearby. Like it was taunting them.

Toby groaned. “Man, I really didn’t think that through.”

“What did you do?”

“Well, Morgana was trying to sway me to her side—and yeah, she was super convincing, promising me muscles and perfect teeth and stuff—but I said “no way” like a real hero and uh…well, I hit her with my hammer.”

Claire blinked. “You _hit her_?”

“I mean, technically I hit Strickler,” Toby clarified. “And he was totally still stone-faced, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt him any. I was hoping it would hurt Morgana’s ego more.”

“I think you hit the mark,” Claire said proudly. “You definitely frazzled her enough, though…” She glanced at their surroundings nervously. “Not sure I like where that got us.”

Toby gulped.

Claire clenched her fists. “But we can’t just give up now. We’re here in the Shadow Realm, same as Jim and Nomura. If I don’t get that staff, we’re all lost.”

Toby took up his hammer. It looked really cool, the way he held it. Claire had to admit Toby was really growing into it, and into his role as a member of Trollhunter.

“I’ll try to lure it your way,” Toby said with a salute. “For Jim!”

“For Strickler and Nomura,” Claire shouted.

With one inhale and two big smiles, both of them said the next phrase together, “For the glory of Merlin!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be concluded...


	5. Finale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jim rescues the final piece of Strickler's soul, and Claire attempts to master the Shadow Staff...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Most dialogue lines for Claire, Toby, and Jim beginning at the staff chase scene were taken directly from the episode, with line placement switched around for timing purposes. So, if it feels familiar, it's probably because you heard it said in canon first.

“Young Atlas, are you _sure_ you’re doing it right?”

“I swear to God, Strickler, I’m totally ready to leave this aspect of you and just take the Troll part back. Shut up!”

Jim was currently trying to saw through the bars of Walter’s cell. Unlike the other bars, these seemed to be impervious to Jim’s daggers. Even Daylight couldn’t slice through them!

“Clearly you’re doing something wrong,” Nomura piped up. She was sitting on top of Stricklander, who was bound by the same rope that had originally connected her and Jim when they’d entered the Shadow Realm. Stricklander was still out cold.

Jim let out a frustrated growl and slammed his fist against the wall. “Say it again,” he challenged. “I’m _trying_, here!”

Walter, for his part, looked thoroughly admonished. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “I know you’re trying. We’re all a bit stressed.”

Jim kicked a fallen branch. The tree had stopped fighting them the moment Jim had broken Stricklander’s chain, thank goodness. It was still moving a bit, swaying the remaining branches in a nonexistent breeze, but all of the earlier aggression was now absent. It was still pulsing, though. Like a creepy heartbeat.

Nomura picked at her teeth. “Stressed is putting it mildly. What do you propose we do?”

“I hate to say it,” Walter muttered. “But perhaps you _should_ just leave me here.”

“No,” Jim snapped. “I’m not actually gonna do that. You’re right, I’m stressed and angry. But we came all this way, so we’re gonna get you out!”

He raised a hand to catch Walter’s. It was meant to be a gesture of good faith, to show he really meant what he said. However, as soon as he came near, Walter slid his hands back behind the bars. He pretzeled himself further inside, as if avoiding Jim’s touch.

Jim decided to take the raised hand and run it through his hair instead. He sighed in annoyance, turning away to face the tree.

Something glinted in his vision as he turned. It was brief, but Jim couldn’t ignore it. It was like…something was shimmering at the base of the tree.

Jim turned back to Walter. “Strickler, can you please just…just take my hand?” he asked awkwardly. “I know it’s a weird request.”

Walter blinked in confusion. “Young Atlas, I don’t think…”

“Humor me.”

Walter slowly untangled his limbs and stuck out a hand. His face contorted in some strange emotion Jim couldn’t identify.

Jim’s own hand reached out to grasp Walter’s…

…and passed right through.

He heard Nomura gasp behind him. Jim narrowed his eyes and growled, “You aren’t even real.”

Walter readjusted his position in the cell. The strange emotion—_shame_, Jim realized—didn’t leave his face. “Correct…”

Jim howled in rage. He summoned Daylight and thrust it at the cell. The sword pierced through the illusion and shattered it, revealing nothing but a rock wall with a few sawed grooves in it.

“So that’s it,” Nomura said after a few moments of silence. “The human Strickler was meant to distract us? Keep us here long enough for Morgana to reach us?”

Jim took a few deep breaths. “No,” he finally mustered. “Not exactly. Strickler’s still…like _that_.” He pointed to Stricklander, who was still feral-looking even while unconscious. “His human aspect is probably somewhere else.”

“There is no way Strickler’s gonna stay out cold the entire time we search the Shadow Realm.”

The shimmer from earlier caught Jim’s eye again. He squinted at the tree.

Nomura followed his gaze, turning her head. Her ears lifted up. “Little Gynt, perhaps you should…”

Jim didn’t need to hear the rest of her suggestion. He rushed forward and sliced through the shimmering air of the tree with Daylight. Just like the Walter illusion, the shimmering shattered.

At the base of the pulsing tree was a hidden cell, the bars golden and pulsing like the tree. Inside was not a human Strickler, but a young green Troll. His brown wings weren’t even big enough to hold up a glide, his horns were mere stubs, and his hands and feet were of the ‘so-big-I’ll-grow-into-them’ variety.

The whelp had a big branch—root? Jim wasn’t actually sure—attached to his chest. The pulse of the tree resonated with the whelp, but he didn’t cry out like the others. He looked…sad. Resigned.

“Strickler,” Jim whispered. “Is that you?”

The young Troll looked up. His catlike eyes were puffy, like he _had_ been crying. His brow furrowed in confusion and he squeaked something in Trollish.

Jim shook his head. “Hang on, I’ll get you out.”

He decided not to switch Daylight out, opting for a huge slice across the bars. He wouldn’t risk this being another fake.

The bars exploded into dust as soon as they were touched. Jim carefully sawed away the tree limb connected to the whelp. Thankfully, it withered away and detached from his chest the moment it was severed.

The whelp became transparent. Wordlessly, he flew through Jim and out into the cavern. Hesitating only briefly, the little spirit quickly dove down past Nomura and into the unconscious Stricklander. The huge Troll shuddered and bucked in his restraints, throwing Nomura off. She scrambled to her feet, brandishing her blades in a threatening gesture.

Jim held up a hand to stop her.

“What are you doing?” she demanded. “Stricklander will—”

The Troll groaned. His growl slowly faded into a human-sounding moan. His markings smoothed out, his claws retracted, and his horns and teeth shrank back to normal. His form shook violently for a few scary seconds, then fell still. Finally, his entire body went translucent, like a bright green ghost.

“Strickler?” Jim called.

The Troll inhaled deeply, as if awakening from a deep sleep. He opened his eyes—normal, slit pupils, no supernatural glow. “Y…Young…Atlas?” he croaked.

Jim and Nomura let out sighs of relief. The pink Changeling trotted over and immediately cut Strickler’s ropes. Strickler looked extremely confused, but then thanked her.

He stood up and transformed into a human, which made Jim let out another relieved sigh. “Where are we?” Strickler asked.

“The Shadow Realm,” Jim answered. “Morgana took over your body and sent your mind here.”

Strickler’s face contorted in worry. “Oh dear. I’m sorry I’ve endangered your life like this, Jim. I never would want you to come here, even if we were still enemies.”

Jim glanced back at the tree, noticing it was now curling up like a dying spider. The remaining limbs retracted inward toward the trunk, and it seemed to bend away. A wilting flower in a dark cave.

“Well, we’re here,” Nomura said bluntly, knocking Jim out of his floral thoughts. “We saved your butt, took out a tree, and freed a bunch of Changeling whelp spirits. I think it’s time to go.”

Strickler blinked in confusion for a moment before nodded. “Quite right. How do we get out?”

Nomura held up the pen. Her ears flattened. “Uh…” She cursed in some form of Trollish Jim didn’t understand? “We have to…say an incantation backwards and the pen will lead us out.”

“So say it.”

Nomura and Jim traded wide-eyed glances. They then did everything they could _not_ to look at Strickler.

“You forgot the incantation,” Strickler said with a no-nonsense tone. “Nomura, _this_ is why I tried to teach you magic!”

“I’d still rather learn opera than magic,” she growled. “At least opera is _interesting_!”

“Guys,” Jim yelled before the Changelings could fight. “Focus! We need to get out of here.”

“Quite right.” Strickler straightened his ghostly lapels. “So, if we can’t use the pen, we might as well go the long way.”

He transformed again, took Nomura and Jim by the hand, and sharply flew forward. In no time they were out of the floating cave thing and back out into the proper void of the Shadow Realm. He expertly dragged the two of them through the minefield of floating rocks and Claire’s house’s furniture, though Jim still managed to clip against a stone.

Strickler eventually stopped to rest on one boulder. Jim looked around, squinting in the darkness. Was it darker around in the void than before? Then, he realized in horror that Claire’s portal wasn’t open!

“Morgana must have overpowered Claire again,” Nomura said.

Jim tried to keep his voice at a calm level. “How do we get out now?”

“We could just keep flying around and hope we find an exit,” the pink Changeling supplied, voice dripping with sarcasm.

“I know that’s not an actual suggestion,” Jim said. “But I get the feeling it’s what we’re gonna have to do anyway. It’s not as if a ride out is gonna just drop out of the sky—”

He hadn’t expected something to actually _drop_ out of the sky. A flash of gold zipped past him, making him jump back and bump into Strickler with a yelp.

“Jim!”

The group looked up. Toby was falling—swimming? Diving? –down toward them. Claire was right behind him. “Jimbo,” Toby yelled again. “Morgana got the jump on us!”

“She’s getting too powerful,” Claire informed them. “I couldn’t hold the staff!”

“You did your best,” Jim comforted.

The flash of gold passed them again, almost mockingly. It was the staff, illuminated in the same golden halo that had taken over Strickler’s body in the real world—and the same glow that had pulsed through the weird Changeling Nursery Whomping Willow.

“That staff is the only way out,” Strickler said. “We need to get it.”

Jim nodded and all five of them split up. Toby couldn’t get close with his slow air-swimming. Nomura tried hooking the staff with her swords as it flew near her. Strickler got close by flying next to it, but it seemed to sense his presence and stayed just out of reach.

Jim had the most success. He took out his daggers and was able to thrust them into a boulder that happened to be passing by quickly. He steered the rock toward the staff and, after a few attempts, managed to grab hold.

“Yes!” he cried out.

His celebration was short-lived. The staff reacted terribly to his grasp, flying forward at a much higher speed. It dropped down at a sharp angle, forcing Jim to let go of his boulder ride. Then it spun around, faster and faster like a terrible carnival ride. Eventually, Jim let go.

The staff sped away again.

“It’s Morgana!” Strickler flew over to Jim and held the teen steady. “She’s controlling the staff.”

Jim decided he _really_ didn’t like Morgana. He was so done with magic.

Toby tried catching the staff again but only managed to pirouette into Claire’s piano. “It’s too fast,” he yelped. “How do we catch it?”

Claire’s face hardened. She jumped up onto a stable rock and held out her hands. With her eyes closed in concentration, she muttered, “_Azazazuth-Kinekh-Thoon!_”

The staff suddenly halted and turned purple. It jerked towards her briefly before flashing gold again.

“What are you doing?” Nomura asked.

The rest of them scrambled up to reconvene.

“I don’t know,” Claire said. “These words…They’re in my head…”

“Use them,” Strickler told her. He shifted into human form. “You have great magic within you. The staff recognized it the moment it allowed you to use it. If you know the words to control the staff—to _wrench _control from Morgana—then _use them_!”

Claire’s face scrunched up. She repeated her magic phrase.

Jim watched in awe as his girlfriend slowly overcame Morgana’s control over the staff. The tug-of-war was made all the more noticeable by the shifting colors. First the staff would be gold, then purple, then gold again, then back to purple. Every time the staff became purple, the gold would take longer to come back.

“She’s stronger than me,” Claire groaned.

Jim put a hand on her shoulder. “No, she’s not,” he said softly.

“You got this,” Toby cheered.

The Changelings nodded their encouragement. Strickler put one of his hands on Claire’s other shoulder. “She doesn’t control you,” he said, voice firm.

Claire looked at the staff. Her eyes were filled with determination. “You don’t control me,” she repeated. Jim knew she was now talking to Morgana. “You can’t control _us_!”

As the staff floated closer, a voice boomed through the Shadow Realm. “**_You dare wield a weapon of my power?_**” Morgana demanded. “**_My Skathe-Hr**ü**n will be your end!_**”

Jim glanced at Nomura and Strickler, worried Morgana’s power would force them to their knees. They didn’t move, though; in fact, they seemed even sturdier in the face of their goddess’s power. They were more determined than ever to defy her, showing no fear.

“It’s not yours anymore. I made it _mine_!” Claire began to glow with her own power. “And now I’m taking it back!”

A force of purple light boomed out from Claire’s body. It enveloped the staff, illuminating runes and symbols Jim would never know. The staff shuddered violently as Claire howled. Violet tendrils burst from Claire’s outstretched hand, grabbing the staff and pulling it to her.

And then…

…she grabbed it.

The staff ceased its glowing.

And then the gravity decided to turn on. The five of them were all thrust down off the boulder, further down than Jim would have cared to explore. Claire still clutched the staff, thankfully.

“What’s happening?” Toby screamed.

“Grab onto the staff,” Strickler warned.

Somehow, all five of them managed to grab hold. Claire’s eyes lit up and the staff reacted. In a flash, they were out of the Shadow Realm and diving headfirst into the ocean.

Then they were freefalling in general.

And then they were about to fall into lava!

And then…

…four of them landed on the ruined floor of the museum.

Blinky and Notenrique scrambled out of the way as Nomura detached first to stand.

“We’re alive!” Toby kissed the ground. “Oh, Claire did it! We’re back and we’re alive!”

Jim and Claire hugged briefly. “Claire…That was…”

“We were around the world in zero seconds,” Toby cried. “You out-witched a witch!”

Jim looked over toward the area where Strickler was still bound. He’d apparently been floating, for his chair hit the ground with a heavy thud. Exhibits that had been floating around him also hit the ground hard, some of them unfortunately breaking upon impact.

Strickler groaned, then looked up at the group, eyes clear and green. He was, thankfully, wholly human.

“Mr. Strickler?” Jim called. “You okay?”

“No,” he complained. “My neck is killing me…And my mouth…?” The Changeling glared at Blinky, moving his jaw around as if making sure it still worked. “Did you knock some of my teeth out, Galadrigal?”

“I would never,” Blinky snapped, offended.

“My bad,” Toby said with a raised hand. “I did that.”

“Is Morgana still…in there?” Claire asked.

“No,” Strickler answered. “She’s gone…”

Notenrique and Nomura cut Strickler’s chains and helped him to his feet.

Strickler’s eyes widened. He inspected himself, brows knitted in thought for a few moments. Then, he let out a few exhales in disbelief. “She’s completely gone…! Totally absent. For the first time in my life, I can’t feel even an _inkling_ of her magic!”

“Same,” Notenrique added. “When the kiddos were gettin’ you out, suddenly it was like a leash got taken off!”

“You’re right,” Nomura said. “Her hold over all of us—over every Changeling—seems to have been severed!”

Strickler transformed so suddenly it made Toby cry out in alarm. The green Changeling flew into the air, nearly touching the ceiling before loop-de-looping around in sheer glee. He laughed like a kid on summer break.

“We’re _free_!”

Nomura and Notenrique cheered with him.

Jim smiled. It was great to see the Changelings celebrate so openly. He had a feeling those three weren’t the only ones feeling the sudden freedom tonight, either.

“Curious,” Blinky suddenly said. Jim looked back at the Troll. Apparently, Blinky and Claire were having their own conversation. “Not only did you overcome a 12th century sorceress, but it appears you’ve picked up a few of her tricks!”

“I don’t know if it’s enough to stop her,” Jim said.

“Plus Morgana told Gunmar how to bring the Eternal Night,” Toby reminded them.

“And if he does, I got a bad feeling this won’t be the last we see of her,” Claire finished.

Jim looked back at the happy Changelings, still dancing and whooping in their newfound independence. He hoped the rest of their kind were just as happy, and would be willing to face their former abusive goddess in the coming battle…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's all she wrote! I'd like to do a companion piece in this same universe, featuring the free-of-Morgana Janus Order and what that would mean for Gunmar...who most certainly did not do a genocide run yet in this timeline...just a...fyi...

**Author's Note:**

> this entire thing is based off of [this post of Possessed!Strickler](https://megs-purgatory.tumblr.com/post/174360314827) by megs-purgatory on tumblr~! Their art really is inspiring, so thank them for this


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